In recent years, the electronics and computing industries have continued to reduce the size of electronic components, which, in turn, has lead to the development of small electronic devices. For example, notebook computers are small portable microcomputers about the size of an ordinary loose-leaf binder, personal digital assistants (“PDAs”) are small electronic devices that combine computing, telephone/fax, and networking and that are about the size of an adult human hand, and digital cameras are small electronic devices that provide electronic storage and retrieval of numerous photographs. Because small electronic devices are light weight and take up less space than larger, functionally equivalent electronic devices, small electronic devices are often more convenient to store and transport.
Small electronic devices often include components for retrieving and storing data, such as various types of electronic memory. However, small electronic devices do not typically include a means for retrieving data from, or storing large amounts of data to, removable mass storage media. For example, small electronic devices may not include an optical disc drive for retrieving data from, and storing data on, optical discs because optical disc drives may be too large to incorporate within the small electronic device.
Optical disc drives access data-storage regions of an optical disc using a laser beam. An optical disc is a flat, circular disc with one or more reflective surfaces, referred to as “data recording surfaces.” Data is stored on an optical disc by changing the reflectivity of tiny, bit-storing regions on a data recording surface of the optical disc.
Small electronic devices can be connected to external optical disc drives using an external connector, such as a universal serial bus (“USB”). External optical disc drives are typically larger than optical discs. Optical disc drives include a tray for receiving an optical disc, and the optical disc is normally fully enclosed within a housing when in use. Typical, external optical discs are attached to a clamping mechanism that serves as a turntable and is rotated by a spindle motor in order to allow an optical assembly to accesses data-storage regions of the optical disc. The optical assembly includes a light source for illuminating data-storage regions during read access, the data read by a photodetector responsive to the differences in reflectivity that encode binary values “0” and “1.” The laser light source may also be used to write data to the optical disc.
Optical disc drives are a convenient and standard reusable mass storage medium, desired by many users of electronic consumer devices for accessing and transferring information. Therefore, designers, manufacturers, and users of small electronic devices have recognized a need for external optical disc drives that weigh less and need less storage space than typical external optical disc drives.